


Lionhearted Girl

by marshie_marshmallow



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Shin Monshou no Nazo | Fire Emblem: New Mystery of the Emblem
Genre: F/F, not even the people in m/f ships, there's no logical reason for nyna to still be called princess in new mystery, welcome to Marshie Canon. nobody is straight.
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-28
Updated: 2018-11-24
Packaged: 2019-05-14 16:27:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,320
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14773122
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marshie_marshmallow/pseuds/marshie_marshmallow
Summary: When Queen Nyna requests a meeting with one of the Altean royal siblings in Grust, Elice leaves Marth to watch over the country and makes the journey herself. Accompanying her for protection is a girl by the name of Kris, the best and brightest of the new knights of Altea. The revelations that Nyna gives - that Emperor Hardin has gone mad and taken over Archanea by force - are unexpected and unwelcome.The entire continent sits on a tipping point of history and it's up to Elice to lead them through it. Together with Queen Nyna, Princess Maria and Prince Michalis of Macedon, a mysterious manakete by the name of Nagi, and a growing army of old friends and new, they'll retake Archanea and discover the truth of the darkness that lies at the center of this war.(Fire Emblem 12, but I flip recruitment order on its head.)





	1. The Beginning I

_Once, there was a war known as the “War of the Shadows.”_

_An epic battle between the Archanean League and the Dolhr Empire, which ended with the defeat of the Earth Dragon King, Medeus. The warriors who had united under the Fire Emblem returned to their own lands, devoting themselves to the reconstruction of their homelands._

_Among the nations that made up the Seven Kingdoms of Archanea, Gra and Grust were devastated. Altea, Aurelis, Macedon, and Talys were left deeply scarred, and even the mighty Kingdom of Archanea was undergoing restoration._

_However, in the palace still shaken by war, one important event took place. Hardin, the younger brother of the king of Aurelis, was married to Princess Nyna, becoming the twenty-fourth king of House Archanea. After ascending the throne, Hardin aggressively restored the country in the twinkling of an eye and formed a powerful army by gathering many soldiers. He then proclaimed the restoration of the Holy Archanean Empire, and himself Emperor._

_It has been years since the War of Shadows ended. The war-ravaged kingdom of Altea was finally starting to regain stability thanks to the efforts of Prince Marth and his sister, Princess Elice. Prince Marth’s engagement to Princess Caeda was announced, and the people of Altea rejoiced, sharing their happiness. However, near the day of their wedding, an unexpected letter arrived from the imperial palace, containing an imperial edict._

_"Dear Prince Marth and Princess Elice of Altea, the Queen Nyna of Archanea requests an immediate audience with one of you in the kingdom of Grust."_

_The Kingdom of Archanea was Altea’s suzerain, so its orders were absolute. It was agreed that Princess Elice would travel to Grust to meet with the queen, bringing along one of the best of Altea's new knights as protection..._

* * *

“We shouldn't be too far, now,” Elice said, checking the map. “Queen Nyna asked to meet us near that village there... I do appreciate your assistance, Kris, even if you did a wonderful job of getting us lost.”

Her companion, a short girl with strong arms, pink armor, and a shock of blue hair not unlike Elice's own, laughed. “Milady, it is my duty to protect the royal family of Altea. I didn't spend so many months under Sir Jagen's brutal training to let you wander the Grustian countryside on your own with just a Fire tome for protection... though my apologies for my awful sense of direction.”

“Oh, I understand. You just let me handle the map and focus on protecting me. Still, I doubt we should encounter much trouble.”

“Better safe than sorry. There are all sorts of bad kinds in hiding.”

“Well, as long as I have you and your sword, I should be fine.”

“Of course, milady.”

A comfortable silence fell over them and they continued down the path like this for a while. After half an hour or so, they caught sight of other travelers up ahead.

One was a very large man, approximately seven feet tall and dressed in furs with warpaint decorating his cheeks. He had an axe strapped to his back. The other was a woman, also tall but not quite to the same extent, with green hair and soft facial features visible under the hooded cloak she wore.

Kris subtly moved her hand to her sword, hoping they could move around the two. The man made her uncomfortable somehow, but Princess Elice seemed unfazed. In fact, Elice seemed to light up and moved quickly to the pair.

“Ymir, is that you?” She asked.

The large man blinked and grinned. “Oh, uh... Princess Elice! Fancy meeting you here! I was just helping this lady find her way to the nearest village.”

“Nagi...” the woman said, in a voice like a crystal bell. “I am Nagi.”

Kris darted her eyes around, scanning the area for others, before relaxing her hand. “Princess, do you know this man?”

Elice nodded. “Ymir was an ally in the War of Shadows. He lives in a mountain village here in Grust. I wasn't expecting to run into him, though!”

“I see... Then I will let you continue your reunion in peace.” The knight stepped back and folded her arms behind her back. It wouldn't be her place to interrupt now that she had established there was no threat.

“Oh, that's not nece- Oh. Well. Ymir,” Elice said, “we were on our way to the village to meet with someone. Perhaps you and Miss Nagi can travel with us the rest of the way?”

“That'd be great!” He grinned. “Are you alright with that, ma'am?”

Nagi gave a soft smile. “Yes... I would like that...”

“Alright,” Elice said. “First, I should introduce Kris. She's one of our Altean knights and is accompanying me.”

“A pleasure to meet you,” Kris said. “Shall we be on our way?”

* * *

In another part of Grust, just outside the village that the princess was making her way towards, a showdown, or at least something close, was happening. A blue-haired paladin of Archanea was gripping her spear and pointing it at the red-haired man who had the audacity to continue drawing breath and, furthermore, show his face in front of the queen. Watching them was the queen of Archanea herself, Nyna, as well as Princess Maria of Macedon and the cleric Lena.

Prince Michalis, for his part, looked mostly unamused as he leaned against his wyvern.

“Princess Maria,” Midia said, “why would you bring _him_ along?”

Maria tilted her head. “I thought his help would be useful. Besides, he's a good person now. Right, Michalis?”

He didn't see fit to provide that with an answer.

“Well,” Nyna said, “so long as he doesn't cause trouble... I suppose he can stay.”

“How gracious of you,” he replied, which earned him a cold stare from Midia.

“Please...” Lena said. “Let's not fight.”

“Sister Lena...” Midia said. “Very well. If I might ask, what brings you here, though? You are a cleric. Should you not be...”

“In a monastery?” Lena finished. “I was here to visit my grandfather and Malicia, my apprentice, with Julian.”

“So where's Julian?”

Lena's gaze grew dark. “He went out to the store a few days ago and never returned.”

“Dark times,” Nyna said.

“How do you mean, milady?”

“It's a story I'd rather not tell twice. We should wait for our other guests.”

* * *

“So,” Elice said, “why are you traveling by yourself, Miss Nagi?”

“I have... a mission,” she answered quietly. “There is something I must do.”

“By yourself?”

“No... there will be others helping...”

Elice waited a moment to see if Nagi would elaborate, before speaking again. “Will you be meeting these others in the village?”

“Perhaps... I can not say exactly how fate works.”

“Fate?”

“Yes... Something dark awakens... It will encompass all the land.”

“Are you a fortune-teller?” Kris asked, curiously. She had experience with fortune-tellers, as there had been one in her home village of Sera.

“No...” Nagi answered, but didn't provide an explanation of what her strange statements meant. “We should... hurry. The others.... should be waiting...” Something in her voice was ominous as though something else awaited them besides Queen Nyna.

Elice was suddenly very frightened by whatever was about to happen.

* * *

Nyna and her entourage must have predicted the route they would travel, or at least made a very good guess, as the queen of Archanea was waiting for them just outside the village.

“Princess Elice,” Nyna greeted. “And... companions.”

Ymir waved while Kris folded her arm over her stomach and bowed. Nagi simply stood there, as if unaffected by meeting one of the most powerful and important people in all of Archanea.

“Queen Nyna,” Elice said, “what was the urgent matter?”

“We would like to know, too,” Michalis said, while Maria looked upset that he spoke before she could.

“Well...” Nyna chewed her bottom lip. “I fear I may have done something awful. You recall that I married Hardin of Aurelis shortly after the War of Shadows?”

“What happened?” Maria asked.

“I... did not love him. The marriage was purely for political purposes. He thought I loved him, though, and I never bothered to correct him. When he realized the truth...”

“So you broke his heart? Tell him he should have more emotional control than a child. I don't see why we should be involved,” was Michalis' haughty response.

“No.” The answer came, surprisingly, from Nagi. “That is not all... There is another part of the story... isn't there?”

“You'd be correct, miss...”

“Nagi.”

“Miss Nagi has it right. After realizing I had lied to him, Hardin... changed. He has turned cruel and forcibly taken control of Archanea. I have been ousted from my own country.”

A silence fell over the group. What were they to say in response to that? That Nyna had been forced out of her own position as queen by her husband was one of the last things any of them expected to learn from this meeting.

“Queen... Queen Nyna,” Kris said. “If I may speak... Why have us meet here in Grust, then? It's so far from Archanea, I mean?”

“... And you are?” Nyna asked.

“Christina... Though I prefer simply Kris. I'm a knight of Altea.”

“Well, Kris, we're in Grust because it's currently under imperial occupation.”

“Wasn't it left in the hands of General Lorenz?” Elice asked.

“It _was_ ,” Ymir said. “Until Lorenz got booted out of the position and they sent Lang here to take over. Our village is mostly unaffected because it's remote, but I've heard stories...”

“Lang is of House Adrah,” Nyna said. “They sided with Dolhr against my family in the War of Shadows. It's only because of Hardin that he has such a position... and that he can abuse it so much. The soldiers of Archanea that are loyal to me alone have been forced to scatter. If we can topple Lang, we'll have a foothold to begin moving against Hardin and reclaim Archanea."

“So... another war,” Maria said and it wasn't a question.

“I fear so.”

“And we were only just finding peace...” Lena muttered.

“Sister, you need not involve yourself in this,” Midia said. “None would blame you for not wanting to take part in another war.”

“No. It's my duty to end people's suffering.”

“We're in this, too!” Maria said. “Macedon won't sit by and let you be dethroned! Right, Michalis?”

There was no answer, so Maria frowned and kicked him in the leg, earning a glare from her brother. After a moment, he made a grunting noise that was probably an agreement.

“Altea will always be around to help the royal family of Archanea,” Elice said, resisting the desire to inquire about the prince's status as 'still living', “but how are we to retake Grust with only our current handful of people?”

“Therein lies the problem,” Midia answered.

“If we begin moving an army now, Hardin will notice,” Nyna said. “We need to already have taken Grust to assemble an army, but, yes, there are only a few of us to do so.”

“So you have no plan,” Michalis said bluntly.

“I have half a plan.”

“Clearly.”

“You have no respect, do you?” Midia asked.

Ymir moved off to the side as the royals held this discussion. He was no tactician and didn't need to be inputting himself into the conversation at this point. Nagi stood beside him, still hidden under her cloak.

“So...” he said. “Not one for conversation?”

Nagi turned to look him in the eye, her gaze unsettling. “We should... go.”

“Huh?”

She pointed down the hill towards the village. “There. Something is happening. We must help them.”

“What are you... talking...” He trailed off as he turned around and saw a pillar of smoke rising from the village. “Holy-!”

His cry caught the attention of the others, who looked over as well.

“That's-!” Nyna said.

“We gotta help them!” Maria cried and she didn't wait for a response before bolting down the hill.

“Maria!” Michalis shouted, running after her. His wyvern took to the air and followed.

Kris and Elice took one look at each other and both nodded before sprinting towards the village, the rest of the group in pursuit.

The scene they stumbled on was not expected. They stumbled to a stop and looked around to see-

“Archanean soldiers!” Elice cried. “Why are they burning the village?”

“Rebels,” Nyna said. “There have been uprisings in Grust amongst the common people.”

“And this is their solution?”

“Lang is truly heartless.”

“Should we fight your soldiers?” Kris asked. “Can't you command them to stop?”

“I'm afraid not. Most of the soldiers here are hired mercenaries and Hardin is the one paying them.”

“Then we'll have to stop them the hard way!” Ymir shouted.

“Should be simple enough,” Michalis said as the wyvern landed beside him, ready for him to mount it.

Elice pressed her lips into a thin line, her face growing resolute. “Let's not waste any more time.”

“Of course,” Nyna said.

“You should stay behind, milady,” Midia said. “We'll take care of-”

“No.”

“My queen, you shouldn't put yourself in danger.”

“I'm done having people do my fighting for me. I can use magic. I _will_ fight.”

Midia looked displeased with this. “Very well. Then I will do my utmost to ensure your protection of the battlefield.”

“I would expect you to. Just do not expect me to sit on the side.”

“The more time you waste arguing, the worse the situation is going to get,” Michalis interjected. “If your queen feels she is fit to fight, then it's not your place to argue, is it?”

Midia growled. “This is none of your concern.”

“I was simply stating a fact. I'm going on ahead.” He tugged on the reins and took off, flying straight into the fray.

The paladin looked frustrated but nevertheless followed after him. She was hardly going to be shown up by someone as smug as Michalis of Macedon.

* * *

At the very least, the soldiers weren't expecting resistance, let alone from trained warriors. Even their slight advantage in numbers did little to stop them from dropping.

Kris, Midia, Michalis, and Ymir were doing the lion's share of the fighting, given that they were all trained much more in physical combat than the others. Elice and Nyna stood behind them, blasting fire and thunder spells, respectively. Maria and Lena, though unable to fight, had their staves. Only Nagi stayed out of the combat.

Kris dodged a lance before darting in and shoving her sword into the soldier's stomach, while Midia tossed a javelin at an archer. Michalis swooped overhead on his wyvern, out of reach of most of the enemies.

“ _Please_ tell me this isn't the best Archanea has to offer,” Kris said as she drove her sword into a mage.

“Not even close!” Midia replied.

“... On second thought, given the circumstances, I'm not sure that makes me feel better!”

“Now is not the place for conversation!” Michalis shouted. “You can discuss the Archanean army's incompetence later!”

A shout came from behind them and Kris whipped her head around to see Lena brandishing her staff like a weapon as a soldier approached. Midia moved to rush in but was cut off by a flash of light.

A massive dragon suddenly stood in front of the cleric, its jaws clamped firmly around the soldier's head. The now-decapitated body dropped to the ground while Lena watched in horror. Another flash of light and the dragon disappeared, replaced by-

“You're a _manakete_?” Elice's voice strained as she shouted, the fireball in her hand fizzling out.

Nagi wiped the blood from her mouth, not giving a verbal answer. With the secret now out, she apparently saw no more need to sit on the sidelines and lept straight into the fray, dragonstone in hand. Her hood fell off as she moved, revealing the long, pointed ears that were a trademark of her species.

The addition of a manakete to the battlefield – and one of their own having his head bitten off – seemed to shake the enemy soldiers. If their group didn't have the upper hand before, they definitely did at that point.

The remaining soldiers scattered or were quickly dispatched, leaving the group to regather.

“Midia,” Nyna said, “gather the villagers and put out any remaining fires.”

“Of course, my queen.”

“Princess Maria, Sister Lena, would you tend to the wounded?”

“Already on it!” Maria said as she took Lena by the hand and rushed away.

“Should I go with them?” Elice asked. “I _am_ quite handy with a staff.”

“I could use your help. General Lorenz was leading the uprisings and I need to locate him.”

“Do you think he's safe?”

“I pray so.”

“Right then. We should have Kris accompany us.”

“What about us?” Ymir asked, gesturing to the three remaining members of their group.

“I'm not taking orders from her. I'll go assist Maria.” Michalis said as he dismounted his wyvern.

“... If that's what you wish,” Nyna said, her face clearly showing that she was uncertain what to do with him. “As for you two... Ymir, could you assist Midia? And... I would like to speak to Nagi.”

Nagi smiled in a very soft and warm way, which almost made Elice forget about the fact that she had bitten a man's head off. Almost.

“I would... love to come with you. It's my duty to help...”

“... Alright then.” Nyna turned on her heel. “I should say our best bet is to check the nearby fortress. We may at least a clue to Lorenz's whereabouts.”

She started down the path and Nagi followed behind, though Elice lingered, a look of concern on her face.

Noticing her liege's distress, Kris stepped up beside her. “Is something wrong, milady?”

“Oh... it's nothing. I just feel... that this is the start of something so much bigger than we understand. Like... something is coming.”

She frowned. “I'm sure it's not- I mean, what Queen Nyna said is concerning, but... I'm sure this can all be resolved.”

“... Of course. Of course. I don't... know what I was thinking.”

“Maybe what Miss Nagi said earlier was getting to you? What did she say? 'Something dark awakens?' Creepy.”

Elice gave a weak smile. “I'm... I'm sure that's it. We should go. It wouldn't do to keep the queen waiting.”

She rushed off to catch up with Nyna and Nagi. Kris paused a moment, clearly disbelieving that her worries had been assuaged, before following suit. There was still a war to fight, after all.


	2. The Beginning II

Nyna took the lead, with Nagi following closely behind. Elice was further back, with Kris bringing up the rear, scanning for potential threats. The sound of footsteps was all the noise that accompanied the four women for a while as they made their way to the castle.

Nyna was the first to break the silence. “Nagi,” she said, “what brings a manakete to Grust?”

“I have... a mission.”

“A... mission? To do what?”

“To prevent catastrophe... Something is coming.”

“Can you be more specific?”

“No... I only know so much...”

“Yet... you can know this at all?”

“Foresight... is a strange gift.”

“From where do you hail? Dolhr?”

Nagi shook her head gently. “I hail... from a people long gone. The divine tribe.”

Nyna came to a halt and turned around. “I was under the impression that the child, Tiki, was the last divine dragon.”

“... She is... in a way. I will not be around forever.”

“Is something wrong with you?” Elice interjected, brow furrowing. “What's the matter?”

“There is... nothing wrong. We should... go.” The manakete didn't wait for a response before continuing down the path, as if there was nothing strange about any of the things she had said.

* * *

 

“There you go. You should be fine now.” Lena smiled at the villager before standing up and moving over to the next patient.

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Maria holding her staff and talking to other villagers. Somehow, it seemed, Michalis had been pulled into helping carry her medical supplies.

The man still had yet to explain his survival after Princess Minerva had struck him down in the last war, but it seemed that it seemed to likely have something to do with Maria herself. At the very least, Michalis seemed to be sticking around for the sake of his youngest sister.

In the distance, Midia and Ymir had formed a brigade to put out the remaining fires. In spite of their efforts, though, a good many homes had been burned to the ground. Not to mention, the innocents killed for being related to rebels.

Lena's grip on her staff tightened. As much as she preached peace, she couldn't help be filled with a sort of righteous fury when she considered the suffering the Archanean army had brought onto the innocent Grustians.

“Miss?” She was shaken out of her reverie by a little girl tugging on her robes.

“Is something wrong?” she asked, kneeling down to be at eye level.

“Something's wrong with Papa. The men hurt him.”

 _Oh, you poor child..._ “Of course. Can you take me to him?”

* * *

 

As they approached the castle, Elice couldn't help but be nervous. There was something in her that said that what they were going to find wouldn't be good. Would Lorenz even wish to speak with them? Surely he understood that this wasn't Nyna's doing.

Though, she found it difficult to believe it Hardin's doing either. While she had been only involved in the war effort at its tail end, having been held prisoner since Altea's fall, Hardin had struck her as an upright, noble man. Marth had certainly trusted the man greatly.

Why then, would such a good man turn so terrible in such a short amount of time? Was it truly simply because Nyna didn't return his love? Was that all it took?

“Princess Elice? You look miles away there.”

She snapped to attention and looked over to Kris, whose face was one of concern. “I'm fine. I was just thinking... Emperor Hardin was a good man. That he might turn out so terrible to allow such atrocities...”

“Sometimes people do bad things. Doesn't mean the good things they did are invalidated.” Kris stared straight ahead as she said this, her face in a purposefully blank expression that she was clearly struggling to maintain.

Elice frowned before she realized the reason. “You're talking about that assassin, aren't you?” What had the girl's name been? She knew it was someone from the 7th Platoon.

“I would... prefer not to talk about it, milady.”

Elice wasn't sure how to respond to that.

* * *

 

Far away, in an inn in another part of the continent entirely, two men sat on the beds in the room they had rented.

“I can't believe I'm going along with this. I still think he can be reasoned with,” one said.

“And if he can,” his companion said, “then that's what we'll do.”

Wolf leaned back against the wall. “We'll have already betrayed him. It's not too late to turn back. Stay by his side and talk to him there.”

“If he can be reasoned with, he'll know why we're doing this,” Sedgar replied, undoing the laces on his boots. “It was his own command that we're to keep him on the straight and narrow. Besides, it'll have a lot more impact if he knows we think he's gone far enough that we have to turn our swords on him.”

Wolf glared, not at him but at the wall. “Stop tearing down my arguments.”

“Isn't that why you keep me around? To tell you when you're being a stubborn idiot?”

“Doesn't mean I always like it.”

“Well yeah. The truth hurts sometimes.”

“Shut up.” Wolf rolled over on his side so that his back was to Sedgar, clearly signaling the end of the conversation.

Sedgar sighed. “Don't get too comfortable. The day's not over yet.”

A snort was all he got in response.

* * *

 

“I think that's everyone!” Maria said with a grin. “Other than the man Lena is attending to and she doesn't need my help for that.”

“You've blood on your dress,” Michalis commented. There was blood on a lot of places on her, actually, but the dark stains against white fabric were particularly striking.

“This isn't one I wear for fancy stuff anyway,” she replied. “It doesn't matter if it gets dirty.”

He didn't seem to know how to answer that. It _was_ her dress which she could make her own decisions about and if she didn't care... well, he knew there was no way he could make her care. Besides, she had a point about it being a casual dress. She had worn it to travel, after all.

“Mmmm... what do you think about all that stuff Queen Nyna said?” she suddenly asked.

“Do you want my honest opinion?”

“Yes.”

“It's her own fault. First, she willingly took advantage of Hardin's feelings-”

“Didn't think you'd care about that part.”

“I don't. I'm stating a fact. As I was saying, she took advantage of Hardin's feelings because she felt she was a weak ruler. This fact was later proven by Hardin ousting her from her own position and forcibly taking her own country from her. The soldiers now fight under him, likely because she isn't worthy of their loyalty.”

“So you think she's not a good ruler?”

“I think she won't become a strong leader if she doesn't work towards it. If she thinks that she's weak and stays passive to outside influences because of that, she'll be weak. If she wants to regain Archanea and hopes to hold it for any length of time, she has to learn to take control and rule for herself. She married Hardin for political purposes and let him take charge because she felt she wasn't suited and this was her own downfall.”

Maria stayed silent for a moment as she seemed to suddenly find her boots extremely fascinating. “That's... a lot.”

“You asked for honesty.”

“I'm finding it hard to disagree with a lot of what you said.” It certainly could have had a kinder phrasing, but there was definite truth to it.

“... Come. We should clean you off.” He held out his hand and Maria quietly took it.

How strange. With him leading her by the hand to the river to wash her face, it almost felt like nothing had happened between them.

Maria liked that feeling.

* * *

 

Something was wrong. That much was obvious as soon as the four of them reached the stronghold.

“It looks like there was a battle here,” Kris said. “We should be on guard. There might still be enemies about.”

Nyna nodded. “We should move quickly. Depending on how things went, General Lorenz may need our help.”

Elice pulled her tome out of its belt holder and flipped it open. There were already several pages ripped out and expended for the enchanted ink that powered spells, but, as a fairly weak tome, it could hold quite a few more pages than most easy-to-come-by tomes. It was also easier for a novice to control the resulting flames, which was a rather important fact given that she hadn't been training in offensive magic nearly as long as she had with staves.

Nyna similarly produced her Thunder tome from its casing, while Kris drew her sword from its scabbard. Nagi quietly shifted, which Elice assumed meant she was pulling her dragonstone from wherever on her person it was that she kept it.

The four approached cautiously, with Kris taking point and Nagi quietly moving to the rear. With Elice and Nyna walking side by side, they formed a diamond formation that would hopefully make it that much harder to be caught off-guard.

They reached the door to the castle undisturbed and Kris pushed the heavy door open. Inside was even more of a mess. Torn tapestries, thrown furniture, blood coating the floor, and the bodies of both Archanean soldiers and rebel soldiers greeted them. A glance at each other, followed by a silent nod, had them step fully inside, taking care to tripping on any of the many obstacles.

“General Lorenz was harboring the prince and princess of Grust,” Nyna said. “He'd have been protecting in one of the more easily defensible rooms.”

Nagi frowned. “There is... no one around. No one alive.”

Elice eyed her suspiciously. “Are you certain of that fact?”

“I do not sense any presences, hostile or otherwise.”

“Doesn't mean we should lower our weapons,” Kris added. “She could be wrong.”

“I pray she is,” Nyna said. “I pray that she's wrong and that we'll find the general and the royal twins unharmed. Let's keep moving.”

* * *

 

Once the last of the fires were put out and the injured attended to, Midia immediately began gathering her things and mounted her horse.

“Where are you off to?” Ymir asked.

“To find my liege, of course,” she replied. “Now that things are handled here, I would be remiss not to catch up with Queen Nyna.”

“Well, we'll come with you,” Maria said, as she began picking up her medical supplies. It took only seconds before Michalis joined her.

Lena similarly started packing up as she quickly gave advice to the woman she had been treating about how to take care of her healing burn wound.

“I'm coming too,” Ymir said. “I wanna help the queen.”

Midia looked around. “You don't wish to stay and help the Grustians?”

“This _is_ helping them. Things aren't gonna get better until Lang's gone.”

“I suppose you have a good point, there. We can always use more allies.”

She didn't like admitting that they needed help, but the Archanean forces that they could trust and also knew the whereabouts of currently consisted of herself and Queen Nyna. Any denial of their need for powerful allies would be terribly transparent. They didn't even know where Astram and Jeorge had been forced to scatter to, which was quite unnerving for Midia.

“We shouldn't waste any time,” she said. “I don't like the idea of Queen Nyna being out there without me.”

“Yeah, just hold on,” Maria said. “Michalis, can you- Michalis?”

Michalis had halted in his tracks and was staring up at the sky, hand shielding his eyes from the sun. “Is that a pegasus?”

* * *

 

“Let's check in here,” Nyna said, motioning to yet another door. This one was rather large and heavy-looking, as well as quite battered. “There's blood leading into here. I think it's a likely candidate.”

Nagi nodded and pulled the door open rather easily, leaving it wide enough to where all four could peer into the room.

“Oh...” Elice said. “Oh no...”

“We should look around,” Kris said, though there wasn't much hope in her voice. “Some of them might still be-”

“They... are not,” Nagi interrupted. “They're gone... All of them.”

The others said nothing in response to that. They knew she was right, but they had no desire to admit it.

“... Fan out. We should find the general.” Nyna slowly entered the room. “And... the twins.”

It took only a couple of minutes of searching before they found what they were looking for.

Elice knelt by the body. “We were too late.”

“You couldn't have known,” Kris said. “It's not... your fault.”

“No. It's General Lang's, isn't it?”

“It is,” Nyna confirmed.

“How funny. I don't think I've ever felt such a burning desire to kill a man I've never met.”

“The children... are not here,” Nagi said. “They are gone...”

“Lang must have taken them,” Nyna replied. “We'll get them back.”

“Can we take him on at this point, though?” Kris asked, hand on her chin in thought. “He commands the entire occupation force. There's only a handful of us at this point.”

“Likely not. We should meet back with the others. Regroup.”

“Should we leave the bodies for the Grustians to handle?” Elice asked. “It's their dead, after all.”

“Yes, we probably should... Let's... let's go. There's no point staying here anymore.”

Elice slowly stood up and Kris put a hand on her arm comfortingly.

“We'll fix this,” she promised. “We'll fix everything and then we'll go back to Altea.”

Elice smiled. “Of course we will.”

* * *

 

As they stepped out of the castle, they were interrupted by the heavy beat of wings and Michalis' wyvern landing in front of them. Maria sat in front of him, having apparently flown with him. The prince quickly dismounted and helped his sister down, before both turned to face Nyna.

“We have to go!” Maria cried. “I'm sorry!”

“What?” the queen asked. “What happened?”

“One of the trainee Whitewings tracked us down,” Michalis answered. “Apparently, there's been a military coup in Macedon.”

“Minerva was captured!” Maria added. “We have to go help her!”

“By yourselves?” Elice asked.

“If we must,” Michalis said.

“She's our sister! And it's our country!”

Elice had doubts about if Michalis had any sort of claim to Macedon anymore, but kept silent on that.

“Then we'll go with you,” Nyna said. “If they have enough force to overthrow Princess Minerva, then they're too powerful for you two to take on alone.”

“And I'm sure the addition of a few people will make all the difference,” Michalis said dryly.

“It might,” Elice said. “Either way, Altea and Archanea are Macedon's allies. We would be remiss not to offer assistance.”

“Oh thank you!” Maria cried. Michalis didn't look quite so grateful but didn't say anything.

Nagi smiled. “We will... fix this. You have my... help, too.”

“This may be the chance we seek,” Nyna said. “The first step to building the army we need to defeat Hardin.”

“Then let us waste no time,” Elice replied.

“Of course.”

* * *

 

Flames flickered in the fireplace and the girl watched them in fascination as she cleaned off her sword.

“You were pretty impressive out there,” the soldier next to her said. “Where did you learn to fight like that?”

“My mother taught me magic. My friend taught me the sword.”

“Must've been pretty good teachers.”

“One of them was. The other was just... efficient.”

“And yet neither of them are with you?”

“I left my mother's home. My friend and I... are no longer on speaking terms.”

“Life sucks like that.”

“Yes...”

“What did you say your name was, by the way?”

She looked up at him. “My name is Katarina.”

“Katarina, huh? Tell Rucke he's got a good eye for mercenaries.”

 


	3. Forests of Macedon

Kris paced the deck of the ship they were taking from Grust to Macedon. Though it was not a long boat-trip, she was still impatient. Who knew what could be happening to Princess Minerva? Sure, she had never met the famous Red Dragoon, but she had heard tales. Besides, the distress it was causing Maria was enough.

“Are you determined to wear a hole in the deck?” came a voice from behind her. She stopped and turned around to find Michalis watching.

He had foregone his outer coat and pulled his hair back, causing her to do a double-take. Of course, she was familiar with the tales of things he had done in the last war and, certainly, his personality left much to be desired, but, at that moment, she couldn't stop the part of her brain that thought he looked rather handsome.

“Is there a reason you're blushing like that?” he asked.

“Um...” She looked away. “I, um...”

“Are you always such a stuttering fool?”

“NO!”

“Then what the hell is wrong is with you?”

“I just- You're... It's nothing! Why are you here?”

“The deck's an open space. Also, I came to check on Cressida.” He pointed upwards to the wyvern flying overhead. “Since she can't ride _inside_ the ship with us.”

“... Oh.”

“I'd suggest moving out of the center,” he said and didn't wait for her comply before walking forward and giving a shrill whistle. Cressida immediately swooped down to land on the deck and gently butted her head against his chest, making a noise from deep inside her throat akin to a purr. Michalis reached up and scratched the ridge above her left eye, making her purr louder.

Kris watched this exchange with a look of disbelief on her face. He almost seemed normal, as opposed to a man who had, according to Elice, murdered his father and held his sister hostage.

It wasn't helping her confusion over the fact that she was just now noticing how attractive he was. The fact that he insulted her didn't seem to be making it any better, either.

“Why are you here?” she asked suddenly. She didn't even mean to speak, but the words came out anyway.

“Why am I... here?”

“Here. Helping. I mean, wasn't it Princess Minerva who defeated you?”

“And it was Maria who saved me. Now leave.”

“What?”

“I have no desire to discuss personal matters with you.” He turned to look at her with a glare. Almost immediately, Cressida lowered her head to look threatening.

Kris held her hands up. “All right. Don't attack me. I'll go now.”

As she turned on her heel and walked to the lower deck, she rolled her eyes. At least he managed to kill her attraction to him in one swift move. Favorable for her. She had more important things to worry about.

* * *

Nyna and Elice stood hunched over a map of Macedon.

“So we'll arrive here,” Nyna said, pointing a western port city. “We'll be near lots of forest cover. Perfect place to hide.”

“Or to be ambushed,” Elice added. “We don't know what Rucke's plans are. He could be guarding that area.”

“But he won't be expecting us.”

“Not us specifically, but he doubtless expects to be attacked. He launched a _coup_.”

“But why would he be guarding that area specifically?”

“He's surrounded by allies of Macedon who won't take to his imprisoning the princess very well?”

“I suppose you have a point there...”

“Right. So we should be prepared for anything. Rucke must have been if he managed to take down Princess Minerva.”

“Indeed... How is the girl who delivered the message?”

“Averil? Still recovering. Lena is seeing to her, but it's frankly a miracle that she managed to make it all the way to Grust to deliver the message. She's apparently a rather new recruit, so that makes it even more astonishing.”

“Do we know anything about the rest of Minerva's soldiers? What about those three that followed her anywhere?”

“Palla, Catria, and Est?”

“Er, yes.”

“Well, Est retired from the army and moved to Altea with her new husband. Palla and Catria should still be in Macedon, but we don't know what happened to them.”

“I see. That's... unfortunate.”

Elice nodded grimly and looked over the map again. “We'll have to be careful of residential areas... Although... I doubt they've taken the military coup well.”

“You think they're loyal to Princess Minerva?”

“Almost definitely.”

“How much do you know about battle strategy, Princess Elice?”

“Almost nothing. I just decided to think of all the ways you could be wrong to make sure nothing slips through the cracks.”

Nyna gives a small smile. “I suppose that's one strategy. Unfortunately, as far as any actual trained military goes, we have...”

“Midia, Prince Michalis, Kris, and Averil. Averil's unlikely to see combat for any significant amount of time, so it's really just the first three.”

“Then we have Ymir, whose not trained but is good with an axe. Princess Maria and Lena are both noncombatants, but their healing staves are invaluable...”

“I can use staves as well,” Elice protested.

“So can I but we can both use offensive magic as well. We're currently of more use filling that role, I'd imagine.”

“I see your point. That just leaves... Nagi.”

“... Nagi can probably handle herself.”

“She's a divine dragon and she bit a man's head off. She probably can.”

“Right... So then, our plan is... to make our plan up as we go along?”

“Calling it 'touch and go' sounds more like we have an idea of what we're doing.”

Nyna shook her head. “Something tells me that Prince Michalis will mock our lack of military prowess either way.”

“Most likely.”

* * *

 

"You're sure this information is correct?”

The soldier nodded. “Absolutely. We interrogated the villagers thoroughly.”

Lang glared at the report in front of him. “Well then, we should send word to the emperor at once. If Altea has assisted in attacking soldiers of Archanea, that makes them traitors. He'll also want to know the location of... that woman. You can go now.”

As the soldier left, Lang smirked to himself. Both locating the missing queen of Archanea _and_ having an excuse to attack Altea? Emperor Hardin would be pleased, indeed.

* * *

 

Tensions were running high in the Macedon tavern, which could be clearly felt by its patrons. The four customers in the corner were speaking in quiet tones, so as not to cause a disturbance.

“We have to do _something_ ,” Roshea said, stirring his spoon around in his bowl of stew.

“It's not what we came here to do,” Wolf replied. “Besides, we can't draw attention to ourselves, unless you want to... be found out.”

“He's going to find out eventually...”

“It would be preferable if we had located Queen Nyna first, though,” Sedgar said. “I don't fancy a confrontation with Coyote by ourselves.”

Wolf flinched at his second-in-command's direct wording of their delicate situation, which the others pretended to notice.

Vyland rubbed his temples. “So we're just going to let Macedon be taken over by a usurper?”

“No, of course not. We're just not taking them on by ourselves. I doubt the queen will sit by and let the situation continue.”

“How do we even know she's going to accept our help?” Wolf asked.

“I don't think she'd turn us away,” Roshea answered. “Though... I guess she'd probably be a little apprehensive. Still, we _have_ to at least try.”

“Don't remind me...”

The table fell silent as they all pointedly ignored that none of them wanted to be doing what they were preparing to do and instead returned to their meals. It was past the point of second-guessing themselves, anyway.

* * *

 

The morning after the ship arrived on Macedonian shores, the small group set out towards the castle.

“Alright, we need to mind ourselves in this forest,” Elice said, pushing a branch out of her way. “We'll need to rely on stealth to make up for our lack of numbers.”

“I would like to remind you that I am a dracoknight,” Michalis said. “We aren't ones for stealth.”

“Then sit on the sidelines and watch.”

“I have a stake in this fight. I'm not staying out of it.”

“Then learn to adapt. Or can you not fight dismounted?”

“Of course I can fight dismounted!”

“Do that then.”

“And what do you suggest I do with Cressida, then?”

“I don't know. Surely it's not difficult to hide a _wyvern_ in _Macedon_.”

“Will you two stop arguing?” Nyna reprimanded. “If Prince Michalis isn't suited for the mission, then he isn't suited for it and he should stay out of the way. If he can find a way to come along without messing with our plans, then he can come.”

“I am coming along and that's final,” he replied. “I will not sit by and wait.”

“Then figure out what to do about your apparent inability to handle stealth missions.”

“Queen Nyna,” Midia said, “I'll scout ahead and see if and where there are enemies in wait.”

She nodded. “We'll wait here. Return when you have info.”

* * *

 

Katarina sat on a cushion underneath a window of Macedon Castle, legs curled up to her chin and staring wistfully out at the surrounding body of water. She had no desire to be assisting a power-hungry general in usurping the throne from its rightful queen, but she needed money to live and Rucke, unfortunately, paid rather well.

 _I could have been a knight,_ she thought but that ship had sailed.

Had she realized sooner that Eremiah held no true love for her, then perhaps she would have admitted her true purpose. Maybe they would have been angry at an assassin getting so close but then... Prince Marth was so kind. He would have thanked her for the info. He'd be glad that she'd seen the light and welcomed her into the knights.

Maybe they'd be able to rescue the others out from under Eremiah's thumb. Then she'd serve as a soldier of Altea with everyone. Kris, Roderick, Luke, Cecille, Ryan, Clarisse... Maybe not Legion. She didn't know what would happen to Legion, considering his unique situation.

So caught up was she in her fantasy that she didn't notice the approach of one of the soldiers.

“Hey, mercenary,” he said in a gruff voice. She whipped her head around, subconsciously reaching for her boot and the knife hidden within. “You're on watch duty in the dungeons tonight.”

“Oh... of course.”

“Head down there after dinner today. Might wanna rest up in the meantime.”

“Understood.”

As the soldier left, she resumed staring out the window. There was no point in fantasizing, was there? This was her lot in life now.

* * *

 

When Midia returned from the scouting mission, she looked pale.

“We may have larger problems than the dracoknights,” she said.

“How do you mean?” Nyna asked.

“I don't know if they recognized me under my cloak but... The Wolfguard are here.”

“Oh...” Nyna took a deep breath. “Well... that is... certainly an issue. Why would they be here in Macedon, though?”

“I can't imagine but it's likely not good.”

Kris cleared her throat and raised her hand. “Er... If I'm allowed to speak... I don't wish to sound ignorant but... what's the Wolfguard?”

“Knights of Aurelis,” Michalis said before Midia or Nyna could answer. “They answer directly to Hardin.”

“They're some of the best warriors in the land,” Nyna added. “We're not ready to face them just yet.”

“Speak for yourself,” Michalis replied, earning him several glares.

“... We will have to do our best to avoid confrontation with them,” she continued while staring directly at him. “What about enemy positions?”

“There are some dracoknights including a general by the name of Rumel, some cavalry, and a handful of archers. I also heard that the dracoknights have a prisoner. A bishop who was traveling through the area. They don't seem to have noticed us yet, so we still have the element of surprise.”

“I imagine we wouldn't have that if we hadn't decided to be stealthy,” Elice said, deliberately not looking at Michalis. He glared straight at her back.

“It will, however, be nigh impossible to sneak around Rumel's forces,” Midia said. “Our best option is probably to launch a sudden ambush on them and we may be able to take them out. We will risk drawing attention, especially that of the Wolfguard, but it's better that we take their forces by surprise than the other way around.”

“Then we should move immediately,” Nyna decided. “The longer we stay, the greater the chance that we'll be discovered.”

* * *

 

Kris crouched in the bushes with Nyna and Elice. Further back, the remainder of the group stood ready to charge.

Nyna glanced around at everyone and nodded her head. Pulling her tome off her belt, she ripped a page out and crumpled it up, letting her hand crackle with energy. Before the soldiers could notice, she stood up and released it, letting electricity arc through the air towards them.

As the bolts struck the archers, Kris lept out of the cover, followed by Ymir, Nagi, and Midia. Michalis took to the air atop Cressida.

It took only seconds for the cavalry to start moving towards them. They were met with the clashing of blades as Midia, Ymir, and Michalis intercepted them. Meanwhile, Kris, Elice, Nagi, and Nyna focused on the archers, as their arrows could prove deadly to Michalis. Nagi's transformation into dragon form served well to momentarily distract their foes. Meanwhile, Lena and Maria stayed in the forest, staves at the ready.

* * *

 

Vyland squinted, using his hand to shield his eyes from the sun.

“Something's happening,” he said, stopping his horse and pointing towards deeper in the forest.

The others stopped alongside him and Wolf followed his finger, where flashes of light and fire could be seen. He strained his ears and thought he could make out the sounds of battle. “We don't know that we should interfere,” he warned. “It might not have anything to do with our mission.”

“On the other hand, though,” Sedgar said, “it very well _could_ be related. At the very least, we might want to know what it is that's happening. If people are fighting back against Rucke, we'll want to know.”

“... Fine. We'll investigate, but unless it's immediately related to our mission, we _do not_ interfere!”

* * *

 

Kris grinned as she parried another attack from the knight she was fighting.

“This can't seriously be your best,” she said. “It's disappointing, to be honest.”

A crackle of lightning shot out from behind her and the knight fell. She turned to find Nyna standing there, hand still outstretched.

“Kindly stop mocking our enemies. We need to move further in and take down General Rumel.”

“Oh. Of course, milady.”

Nyna turned on her heel. “Midia! We're moving!”

“Is anyone injured?” Lena shouted.

As the group stopped to breathe and let the two clerics heal their injuries, Michalis flew down. “We're best off approaching from the side,” he said. “Trying a head-on assault will lead to all of them attacking at once.”

“But from the side, we can cut some of them down before they all charge,” Midia said thoughtfully.

“Precisely. It's a shame we lack any archers to exploit their real weakness.”

“We'll have to make do,” Elice replied. “What about the Wolfguard?”

“No sign of them involving themselves in the battle yet.”

“Let us hope it stays that way.”

He nodded. “Of the dracoknights, the largest threat is obviously General Rumel himself. However, I recall Rumel, and Rucke as well, from three years ago. Neither of them are very good. How Rucke managed to overpower Minerva, I'll not understand.”

“Averil said it was the element of surprise. The coup was so sudden, they couldn't organize and fight back.”

“Coward.”

“Everyone's healed up. At least as well as I can do without more time,” Lena interrupted. “We should get moving again.”

* * *

 

Fighting dracoknights was wildly different from fighting their previous enemies. Only the spellfire from Elice and Nyna reliably hit them. Michalis could fight on a more even ground, given that he wasn't contained to the ground and Nagi's dragon form had wings but Midia, Ymir, and Kris all had to wait for the knights to swoop down to attack them before they could attack themselves.

Kris ducked and rolled to avoid a lance coming at her but the knight flew back up before she could counter. She tried to think back to the flying enemies she had fought in her training, only to realize the 7th Platoon had usually relied on Ryan to take down the pegasus knights they had faced.

She backed up to stand back-to-back, which she could only imagine looked rather comical given he was monstrously large and she was rather short.

“This isn't going well!” He shouted over the sounds of wingbeats, clashing weapons, and the crackle of fire and lightning.

“Been practicing our understatements, have we?” she replied, watching Midia hurl a javelin at one of the aerial soldiers.

One of the dracoknights moved to attack Elice and Kris was moving before she even realized, throwing herself in front of the attack to block it with her sword. The knight seemed surprised by her sudden interruption and readjusted his axe to strike down. Before he could, Elice ripped a page from her tome and blasted a fireball directly at him.

Kris used the momentary distraction to leap forward and strike, grateful that he hadn't flown back up into the air yet. As the knight lost his balance and toppled off his wyvern, Elice blasted a second spell at him.

He didn't get back up after that, so Kris turned around.

“Are you alright?” she asked.

“Of course I am. There's no need to be concerned with me.”

“It's quite literally my duty to be concerned with you.”

Elice laughed. “Fair enough. Now, let's return to the battle, shall we?”

Fighting alongside Elice felt as natural as fighting on her own. Even the 7th Platoon had taken some time to be able to coordinate their efforts properly but, with Elice, it just _worked_. Kris swung her sword while Elice fired off spell after spell and together they cut down the enemy. They were still held back by the enemy having the advantage of flight, though.

“There's more coming!” Midia shouted suddenly and Kris felt her heart drop. How were they supposed to win?

As if fate itself was answering her question, an arrow flew in from somewhere to her left and struck one of the dracoknights. The sound of hoofbeats sounded and four men atop horses came riding out of the woods.

“What the-?” she started to say.

“You!” Midia cried.

The man in the lead, whose purple hair hid one eye from view, simply scowled and nocked another arrow.

The dracoknights, who had been causing so much trouble for their band, fell easily to the arrows that two of the men were firing off. From there, the ground-bound forces could easily dispatch them.

One man, who must have been General Rumel, flew forward, too close to shoot at. The purple-haired man's response was to draw a sword. As the man parried every swing of Rumel's axe, his green-haired companion aimed another arrow.

For what had previously been a rather feverish and intense battle, the ending, with an arrow going straight through Rumel's neck, felt rather anticlimactic.

Kris lowered her sword but, much to her surprise, Midia only raised her lance higher, glaring at their mysterious saviors.

“What are you doing here?” she asked coldly. “What's your game?”

The purple-haired man gave her an unimpressed look. “It looked as though you were struggling against those dracoknights.”

“Why are you helping us?”

The man rolled his visible eye. “We're not your enemy.”

“You sure about that?”

He sighed and turned to his companions. “I told you they wouldn't want our help.”

“Your _help_? You work for-”

“Midia, that's enough,” Nyna said. She turned to the men. “Wolf, would you care to elaborate on what you mean?”

Wolf sighed and dismounted his horse. As the others followed suit, he approached Nyna on foot, sheathing his weapons. Stopping a just a few feet away from her, he took a deep breath. “We swore ourselves to Coyote... but we're not blind. He's changed. He's not the same man we gave our loyalty to.”

“And so you've come to assist us?”

“We... made a promise. Coyote knew that even the best men can be corrupted by power... and so he entrusted the four of us with the duty of keeping him on the path of righteousness, by any means necessary.”

“Most men that I know of wouldn't resort immediately to turning their weapons against him, in that case,” Michalis interrupted.

Wolf glowered and moved to unsheathe his sword again. “How is he even still alive? And why is he here?”

“Princess Maria,” Nyna replied. “As the answer to both your questions.”

“Does he have to be here?”

“As long as Princess Maria is here, the answer is apparently yes.”

“Believe me,” the prince said, “I have no desire to be working with you lot either.”

“Returning to the topic at hand...” Elice prompted.

“Of course,” Nyna said. “You really do wish to help us?”

“If this is the only way to get through to Coyote, then yes. I was displeased with the decision but... it's for the best.”

“I say we trust them,” Maria said. “They're telling the truth.”

“I'm inclined to believe them as well,” Elice added.

Looking between her fellow royals, Nyna set her face in a grim, determined look. “Very well. We would be glad to accept the help of the Wolfguard. Now then...” she looked at the fortress Rumel had been guarding. “Shall we spend the night here?”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hahaha whoops. Didn't mean to take so long with the chapter.
> 
> Also, that first scene with Kris and Michalis was supposed to be wildly different but then Kris decided that he's hot and it evolved into that disaster. Honestly, at this point, I can't remember how it was originally meant to go.


	4. Interlude at the Fortress

Two figures stood on the hill above a village, with Macedon Castle just within view. If they squinted, they could make out the rogue dracoknights patrolling the skies. One of them, the man with blue hair and matching traveling clothes, settled himself on the ground to continue watching.

“You're not planning on taking them on, are you?” he asked.

His companion, a plump brunette woman in a pink dress, shook her head. “As much as I would like to earn Macedon's trust and have them to back me up, I'm not fool enough to think we can win that fight. Even with more than just the two of us, our odds wouldn't look good.”

“So then what's our plan, princess?”

She glanced down at him. “Locate the queen of Archanea and beg for Gra to be given back over to me.”

He made a noise that was halfway between a laugh and a scoff. “Beg? Really?”

“Do you have a better plan? After my father betrayed everyone to Dolhr and killed the Altean king, I have no allies anywhere, save for you and I'm _paying_ you. All I have is my hope that they'll trust my claims that I am nothing like my father.”

A whistle. “Fair enough. You gonna keep standing like that or do you wanna sit down with me?”

She blew air out of her nose in what was almost a snort, before sitting down next to him. “You know, it's rude to sit in the presence of royalty without being invited to do so.”

“Don't you keep telling me that you're no princess until you can claim the country? So it shouldn't matter if I sit without your permission.”

She leaned back to lay flat on the grass. “True but if I were actually in the position, you would have committed a great offense.”

“And I'm sure the fact that I'm a lowly mercenary wouldn't have helped.”

“The nobles would all be in shock.”

He reclined back as well, so they were both laying down and staring at the sky. “Bet they wouldn't like you getting grass in your hair either.”

She laughed loudly. “Probably not. I'm not very much of a princess, am I?”

“Not like it matters. As long as you have a good heart and can rule the country well, that's what matters more than what the bluebloods think is an offense to their upper-class sensibilities.”

“If I'll even get to rule.”

“You will.”

“Hope you're right.”

* * *

 

Elice watched as Kris carried another crate out of the supply room into the main area they were set up. She would have liked to offer her help but lacked the upper body strength to actually do anything significant. Now she was sitting in a chair on the sidelines and observing as Kris, along with the Wolfguard, sorted the supplies that had been left behind by the rebels.

Well, mostly she was observing Kris.

Especially Kris' arms, which were well-toned from a life of farmwork and training with the sword.

Elice suddenly felt her face growing warm.

She glanced over to where Lena was checking over the elderly bishop that they had found in the fortress cells. Maria, who apparently knew him, was chattering animatedly while Michalis glowered in the background. Nyna had gone to check on Averil, whose condition was better than when she first found them in Grust but was still greatly affected by her wounds.

Feeling rather useless over by the wall all of a sudden, she stood up and left the room. As much as she would like to go for a walk, she couldn't exactly leave the safety of the fortress and it would be dark soon anyway. Surely there had to be something she could do help or at least keep herself busy in some way.

She ruffled her hands through her hair as she paced the halls. She could only imagine how unsightly she was making it look but she could always borrow a hair tie off of Kris later to tie it up and hide the mess. The knight seemed to carry a good many hair ties, as apparently, loose hair was not just an inconvenience to her in battle but in daily life.

She stopped when she noticed a blueish light pulsing from one of the rooms. Cautiously, she peered into the open doorframe, immediately relaxing when she saw it was only Nagi.

The manakete was sitting at a table, with her arms resting on it and stone, which looked to be the source of the light, clutched in her hands. Elice assumed that must have been her dragonstone. She was wrapped up in her cloak as usual but had her hood down and her green hair hanging loosely over her shoulders. In the stone's glow, she looked beautifully ethereal.

“So this is where you went off to,” she said, stepping into the room which looked to be a dining area.

Nagi looked up and smiled softly. “Hello...”

“What are you doing in here?” she asked as she slid into the seat across.

“Thinking. Resting. Many things.”

“Alright.” Elice folded her arms on the table and rested her chin on top of them, staring quietly at the dragonstone still held in Nagi's hands. “Can I ask you a question?”

“If you wish...”

“You say you're here because of some... great darkness. What did you mean by that?”

Nagi glanced up from the stone. “I believe I said... that my gift is not infallible. I see darkness... and that could mean many things... All I know is that... none of those things would be good.”

“Where were you during the War of Shadows? Surely _that_ qualified as a 'great darkness.'”

“Asleep. It is only recently... that I awoke.”

Elice almost said something about how long Nagi must have been asleep but changed her mind. Manaketes worked in strange ways, after all. “Why were you in Grust?” she asked instead.

“Because that was where it was always meant to start. Where you would take the first steps to save the world.”

She lifted her head off of her arms and stared at Nagi. “Me?”

“You.”

“That... You must be mistaken. I'm not a...”

Nagi set the stone down and looked her in the eye. “Not a what, little one?”

“A hero. I'm not the one who saves the world.”

“Not yet, perhaps.”

“It's not... my... I spent the last war as a prisoner.” She set her head back down. “What possible skills or talents do I have that can save anyone? I'm only starting to figure out how to wield magic as a weapon.”

Nagi gave a soft smile and reached across the table to stroke her head. From most people, she would consider such a thing condescending, not to mention inappropriate as she was a princess. From Nagi, though, it felt comforting. “You helped save the villagers in Grust... You fought elite soldiers of Macedon... You will be fine, young one. Fate works in mysterious ways.”

Elice yawned, the peaceful feeling of fingers running through her hair and her head resting on the table making her realize how exhausted she was from battle. “I hope you're right...” she murmured as she slowly closed her eyes.

* * *

 

Sedgar sat the last container of arrows down with the rest of the weapon supplies. “That's the last of it.”

Kris put her hands on her hips and stared at the piles of supplies. “... We could really use a convoy or something to carry all this. There's no way we can take a quarter of this stuff along.”

He blinked. “Yeah... This is... you really don't have any way of carrying this stuff except on yourself?”

“I'm sure Princess Elice would have arranged for a convoy when we left Altea if not for the fact that we were the only people traveling. That and we had no way of knowing we'd need to be carrying supplies for an army.”

“You call this an army?” Wolf asked, clearly disbelieving that their group of fourteen people could be called anything remotely close to an army.

“Well, no. But in time it hopefully will be. I don't know. This is all a bit out of my depth. I only became a knight last year and only found out recently what was going on.”

“And... they trusted you to guard the princess alone?” Sedgar asked.

“Haha... yep. I'm not entirely sure why, either, but I guess I'm doing a decent enough job at it.”

“Either Altea has low standards for knights or you _really_ impressed them, somehow.”

Kris scratched the back of her head. “Well... I like to think my platoon and I did fairly well in training.”

“We'll see how good you are,” Wolf said, somewhat condescendingly, before turning around and walking off to inspect the contents of the crates. Roshea and Vyland were already doing such across the room.

Sedgar grimaced. “Sorry about him. He's... He's always like that, really. Give it time.”

“Not the friendly sort?”

“Not unless you're one of us.”

“You're all close, then?”

He held up one hand in a half-shrug gesture. “Always have been. Been the four of us since the start.”

She glanced at the ground. “That's nice. My training platoon used to be close but we kinda fell apart after...”

“You gonna finish that sentence or are you regretting starting it?”

She gave a little bit of a laugh. “ _Definitely_ regretting starting it now. Forget I said anything?”

“Sure. Come on. Wolf is glaring at us so we should get back to work.”

* * *

 

Maria yawned loudly as she stretched her arms. The lounge was empty save for herself, Lena, and Michalis, the last of whom was on a sofa by himself in the corner.

“You'll catch a fly like that,” Lena said, not looking up from the book she was reading. It was apparently some advanced healer text that was way above what Maria knew.

“It's fine.”

Lena did glance up then, corner of her mouth quirking in a smile. “If you say so.”

It was at that moment that Nyna entered the lounge and took a seat at the table the two Macedonians were sharing. “Have either of you seen Princess Elice or Miss Nagi within the past hour?”

“I can't say that I have but it's a rather large fortress considering the size of our party,” Lena replied. “I have no doubt they're simply off by themselves somewhere.”

Nyna drummed her fingers on the table. “How far out are we from Castle Macedon?”

“From here, it's a full day's walk,” Michalis said, sounding bored.

“So we'll need to plan to try to retake the castle the day after tomorrow...” She clasped her hands together, elbows resting on the table, and pressed their sides to her face in concentration. “The addition of the Wolfguard is certainly valuable but I still hesitate to trust them.”

“As you well should.”

“Must we discuss this now?” Lena asked. “It will not help to strategize when we know nothing of the enemies in the castle and we could all use some rest. Focusing on the battle all the time isn't good for you.”

“I... My apologies. It's very hard for me to focus on anything else right now.”

Lena closed her book and set it down on the table, looking Nyna in the eye. “I understand that perfectly well but it's not good for you to stress about something that you can't resolve just yet.”

“I suppose.”

“So we will simply have to find something to discuss that will take your mind off of things.”

“We could play a game,” Maria suggested. “I found a deck of cards earlier.”

“Is that why you were rifling through the cabinets?” Michalis asked.

“I was just curious about what was in there. Come on, let's play!”

* * *

 

Elice had been awake for several minutes before she realized it. The room was empty, so Nagi must have left. How long had she been asleep? Not that she should have fallen asleep at all.

She stood up from the table and pushed the chair back in before exiting. Through a window, she could see that it was nighttime, whereas the sun hadn't even properly started to set when she had fallen asleep.

“There you are.” She turned around to see Kris standing further down the hallway. “I was wondering where you disappeared to.”

“I'm sorry. I was spending some time by myself.”

“Well, you're fine so I suppose that's what matters, isn't it? I just needed to tell you that supper is almost ready.”

Elice tilted her head. “Who's cooking?”

“Sister Lena, with help from Sedgar, Roshea, and Ymir. Dame Midia refused to let any of the Wolfguard assist unless there was an equal number of other people working since she still doesn't trust them. I _would_ have offered to help but I am... not good in a kitchen.”

“Are you really not?”

“No... Grandfather said my cooking always tasted like steel... And anytime I offered to cook, he said I would have to strike him down before he allowed me in the kitchen.” Kris looked bashful at this confession. “It's a bit embarrassing. For all that I can swing a sword around, I can't make my own meals.”

Elice laughed. “Everyone has flaws, I suppose, and yours happen to be a lack of cooking skill or navigational sense.”

“Please don't bring up my directional issues,” she said, covering her face with her hands.

“Sorry, sorry.” She held up her hands in a surrendering gesture. “I suppose I should rejoin the others now?”

“Fair warning,” Kris said, a mischievous grin on her face, “that Princess Maria may try to rope you into playing card games with her. She's been holding Queen Nyna and that bishop captive for at least an hour and a half now but likely longer.”

“Oh dear. I hope you know that if I do get pulled in, you are obligated to join me.”

Kris dramatically held her hand to her cheek. “Ah, the sacrifices I must make for Altea and her royal family.”

“A knight's burden is a heavy one.”

“I suppose I'll live.”

Elice grinned widely. “You better because I am officially not allowing to die.”

“And if I receive a deep wound and am bleeding out on the battlefield?”

“Then stop because you are not allowed to do that. Nor are you allowed to drown, get shot with arrows in any sort of vital organ, be poisoned, or any other thing that may kill you. Dying on me is banned.”

“These seem like somewhat unreasonable requests.”

“They are not requests. They are orders. I am ordering you not to die under any circumstances, regardless of how grievous your wound is. You will simply have to walk it off.”

“And what, pray tell, will you do if I do die?”

“Then I will simply have to storm the gates of hell and drag you back to the world of the living by force so I can properly punish you for disobeying my orders. And then I suppose that since you will be alive again anyway, I will then allow you to resume your position as my guard.”

Kris burst out laughing. “Sounds like a lot of work. I suppose it will be much easier on you if I simply obey your orders then and stay alive.”

“Much easier, thank you. Come along then. We've wasted enough time in an empty hallway and I am rather hungry now.”

“Right behind you, milady. Oh but... one thing?”

“What's that?”

Kris rifled around in one of the little bags she carried on her belt and pulled out a hair tie. “You might want to use this. Hide what's going on,” she motioned over her own hair, “up there.”

“That bad, huh?”

“Very bad.”

“Ha.” Elice took the hair tie. “I always did have terrible bedhead.”

 

* * *

 

Katarina was awoken the next day to someone roughly shaking her shoulders. Blinking blearily, she glanced up to see one of the rebel soldiers standing over her with a very angry look on her face.

“Good morning,” she murmured sleepily.

“Some guard you are!” the woman exclaimed. “Princess Minerva is gone!”

She sat straight up and rubbed her eyes, only realizing then that she had fallen asleep at the table from which she was supposed to guard the prison. How had she come to fall asleep? Sitting vigil like that was normally little issue for her... And she was still groggy. She didn't tend to have trouble waking up...

She paused as she let her brain process and tried to recall the events of the previous night.

“I... I'm pretty sure I was drugged.”

Yes, it was coming back to her now. She looked to the pitcher of water sitting on the table. She recalled drinking the water and then soon getting very sleepy. She had closed her eyes and then must have fallen asleep under the effects of whatever the water had been laced with.

“Come on,” the soldier said, grabbing her by the arm. “You can explain to General Rucke why the princess that you were guarding is gone.”

How strange. She remembered _seeing_ the blue-haired pegasus knight drug the water. Why in the world would she then go and drink it anyway? Unless she _wanted_ the knight to rescue Princess Minerva?

Oh. Right.

As she followed the soldier up the stairs, she began to remember everything clearly. Seeing the pegasus knight. Drawing her sword but being unable to bring herself to swing it. The conversation that had ensued when it was clear she wasn't going to fight. The words that that knight had said to her with a face full of resolve.

“ _If you've done such terrible things in the past, you're not gonna make up for them by continuing to fight for the wrong side.”_

She remembered looking her in the eye before slowly taking the pitcher of water and pouring out a glass. She drank it, then settled back at the table.

“ _I never saw you.”_

“ _Of course you didn't.”_

As Katarina stepped onto the main floor of Macedon Castle, she could only hope that she had done the right thing, entirely of her own volition, for what would have been the first time in her life.

 


	5. March Through Macedon

Elice looked over the hilltop from her point hidden just within the woods their group was camped in. After a day's march and another night's rest, they were preparing to take on General Rucke and his men. Nyna stood on her right, arms crossed, while Michalis on her left was leaning back against a tree. Behind them, the remainder of the party were sorting out weapons and supplies for the coming battle.

“They've raised the bridge,” Nyna said, uncrossing her arms and pointing at where it could just be made out. “And we don't have a key to lower it.”

“There's another bridge,” Michalis said. “It's much smaller, however, and it's behind the castle. To reach it will require traveling the long way around. They're likely to have consolidated all their ground-bound soldiers around the castle, however, with the intention that the dracoknights will take care of anyone who tries to approach. Their forces aren't as large as they'd like them to be and they'll be relying on the defense the castle provides.”

“We should stop at the villages. Warn them to shut and lock their gates before the combat starts.”

Elice squinted, still unable to see much. “This is all just a theory, right? You don't know if that's how it's actually set up?”

“Of course it's theoretical. I can't see from here any better than you can. I could fly over to view their positions but they're likely to have commandeered use of the castle ballista, which would make it very dangerous if they noticed me, which would be fairly likely with the patrolling dracoknights. Anyway, even without the threat of a ballista, we still have the element of surprise for now and the longer we maintain it, the less time they'll have to pull themselves together before we reach them.”

“We'll simply have to go in blind once again,” Nyna said. “They took Macedon by attacking unexpectedly. That's how _we_ will take it back.”

“I'll go and see how things are going with the preparations,” Michalis said, turning and walking towards the others.

Elice gave a brief glance at his retreating back before turning to face the view again. She hesitated a moment before sitting down, one leg drawn up to rest her arm on while the other lay flat on the ground.

“Don't get too comfortable,” Nyna said. “As soon as preparations are complete, we march.”

“I'm well aware. Better to rest my legs now, so they won't be so tired when we leave.”

“Fair enough,” she replied, then turned to rejoin the others as well.

Alone, Elice stared out over the horizon. The sun was still rising, so the sky was tinged pink and orange.

As she watched it continue to slowly rise, her mind drifted back to her strange conversation with Nagi. Was she seriously meant to save the world? From what? She felt, somehow, like 'Emperor Hardin' wasn't the correct answer.

The idea of saving the world or that _she_ could be the hero felt strange. She had never been of any use to anyone. All she had was a Fire tome with half its pages missing and her own desire to win the battles she found herself in. No military prowess or strategical skills to speak of.

When she was younger and her life had consisted of etiquette lessons and healing staves, she had thought about being the hero. She'd cut her hair short and wear armor with the Altean crest emblazoned upon it. She'd then take the Falchion in hand and make everyone see that she carried not just the blood but the spirit of Anri within her.

Such a shame that she was terrible with a sword, as proven by all her attempts at learning to wield one.

These days, she doubted she was anywhere near worthy of being called Anri's descendant. If his spirit resided in anyone, it was in Marth. He was the one who had been named the Champion of Altea in the War of Shadows. He had led the Archanean League to victory and had slain Medeus himself.

What had Elice done? She had sat in a cell. She couldn't even be of any use after being rescued because apparently people who were imprisoned for two years weren't supposed to immediately go onto the front line of a battlefield.

Her brother, for all his naivete and idealistic innocence, was the hero. She was, in the eyes of everyone else, just his _sister_.

Why would anyone leave her in charge of saving the world?

* * *

 

Kris frowned as she gave a test swing to her sword. “Guess I've run it down more than I thought. It should be fine for a while but I can't imagine it'll last much longer past this battle.”

“Are swords your only weapon?” Sedgar asked.

“Yeah, I learned to fight myrmidon-style. Quick and deadly... and restricted entirely to swords because they're light and easy to strike with.”

“Alright. So we'll have to make sure you always have a sword on hand. Others among us can wield multiple weapons. I can wield bows. Vyland and Roshea can wield lances. Wolf can use-”

“Anything,” Wolf interrupted.

“Uh, yeah.”

Kris' mouth twisted a little. “Seriously? Anything?” Both men nodded. “That's impressive. I think Grandfather initially wanted me to be a cavalier so I _would_ have learned how to wield lances but we didn't have a proper warhorse. Just a normal horse. You can't learn to fight from horseback if your weapons scare the horse and make him bolt.”

Sedgar laughed. “No, no you can't.” He picked up an axe and started inspecting it.

“Your grandfather taught you to fight?” Midia, who had been silently watching the Wolfguard knights as if they might turn on the group at any moment, asked with a sudden interest.

“Oh, uh, yeah. He was a retired knight himself. I told him when I was little that I wanted to be a knight like him and asked if he could teach me. Not much else to it. Or to me.” She rummaged around in her pack for a whetstone and settled herself cross-legged on the ground to sharpen her blade.

“Not much of a talker?”

“I don't see why we have to talk,” Wolf interrupted.

Midia narrowed her eyes as if suddenly reminded of his presence and her distrust of him, causing the area to be filled with a cold silence. Sedgar and Kris glanced at each other awkwardly before both looking down at the weapons they were holding in their hands to avoid making eye contact with others.

Sedgar coughed. “I need to rewrap this handle for a better grip. Pass me the leather?” 

* * *

 

"Assuming no critically life-threatening injuries, this should be enough in the way of staves and vulneraries for myself, Princess Maria, and Father Frost,” Lena said, turning and smiling at her companion. “Thank you for the help.”

Roshea scratched the back of his head, blushing a little bit. “Glad I could be useful... even if I was just carrying stuff.”

“Oh, nonsense. I would never be able to carry everything myself. Now, would you mind delivering this to Princess Maria?” she asked, handing him a Heal staff and a vulnerary. “I'll deliver the other set to Father Frost.”

“Okay,” he replied as he took them from her. “But Prince Michalis is over there and I don't think he likes me... or any of us.”

“Yes, well, I doubt he would like you much regardless of the circumstances but he won't do anything to you at the moment... Or at least I'm fairly certain he won't.”

That did not make Roshea feel any better but he nonetheless turned and made his way over to the royal siblings, passing by Wolf and Midia's silent staredown in the process. The tense atmosphere did even less to ease his fear. As he approached the other side of the clearing, where the two were sat, he took a deep breath and tried to steel his nerves.

As calming a presence as Maria tended to bring with her, it was overpowered by Michalis' terrifying aura. Roshea found himself freezing in place five feet or so from them, unable to speak. Were that he could, he would try to make desperate eye contact with Vyland to come and help him but the other knight was preoccupied packing up all their supplies for the march with Ymir.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Lena walking over to where Frost was conversing with Nagi and Nyna. With Princess Elice sitting off by herself, it was clear he'd get no reprieve from this confrontation.

“Are you going to stand there all day?” Michalis asked and Roshea was suddenly acutely aware of the fact that the prince was staring at him.

“I, uh...” He struggled to find his voice and could feel himself wilting under the unfeeling gaze.

Maria huffed. “Michalis... Go stand over there.” She pointed to a space well away from them.

“I'm not leaving you alone with him.”

“You're scaring him.”

“Good.”

Roshea cleared his throat. “I was just... Sister Lena asked me to deliver this.” He held out the staff and vulnerary. “That's- that's all.”

Maria gave a very calm smile, though her eyes made it clear that she was still displeased with her brother. “Thank you.” She took the items from his hand, while Michalis crossed his arms and watched the exchange with a stony glare.

“I, uh... Gotta go... find something else to do. Bye!” As he turned around and quickly retreated to a safe distance, he could hear her scolding her brother. Were he not scared out of his wits, he would find the concept hilarious.

As it was, he retreated behind a tree and, with his back against it, let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.

Why did Michalis have to be _here_? Facing him in battle was terrifying enough and Roshea hadn't even actually fought him. Now they had to fight in the same army? _Against_ Coyote?

The entire world was flipping upside-down, wasn't it? 

* * *

 

Nyna scanned over the extremely tense party of soldiers. “Are we prepared to march?” At Midia's nod, she pressed her lips into a thin line. “I see. I hope you're all ready to fight alongside each other.” Her gaze traveled over to the Wolfguard, who were standing separate from the rest. “We'll need cooperation to have any chance of succeeding with the current odds.”

“Of course, milady,” Midia said, though the grip on her lance did not loosen.

Nyna sighed. “I suppose we'll have to work out our issues on the way.”

“It'll be best if we stay within the woods for as long as we can,” Michalis said.

“Yes, we know,” Elice replied. “It's not exactly difficult to figure out that we'll have an easier time of things if we aren't spotted too soon.”

Michalis rolled his eyes, which did nothing to ease the tension.

Nyna's face grew more strained. “Well... We can't waste any more time here. Let's just go.”

It was a tense march, with everyone separated into groups. Midia and Nyna were at the front, riding their horses. The Wolfguard were all separated off by themselves. Michalis and Maria were both atop his wyvern, which didn't mind the weight of a second, albeit much smaller, person. Lena and Ymir were chatting in the back of the group while Nagi walked alongside them. Elice, meanwhile, had only Kris walking closely behind her.

She couldn't help but feel uneasy, not just because of what Nagi said but also because the group seemed bound together by only the weakest of bonds. It was clear to anyone that Michalis was present only for Maria's sake and that may still have been just a pretense. As for the Wolfguard... _she_ wanted to trust them but Midia and Michalis seemed ready to gut them at a moment's notice, while Nyna was hard to get a read on.

She knew there had been defectors in the Archanean League when it formed. Hell, Maria and Minerva had defected from the nation they were royalty of. How had they handled it? How had the League handled it? Had there been suspicion? Surely people had thought Maria's being held hostage was staged to earn their trust. How similar was it to the current situation?

What if they really _couldn't_ trust the Wolfguard? She didn't want to think such a thing but it was true that they had no real proof of their statement. They could be spies. They could be planning to lead the group into a trap. Perhaps she was being stupid to trust them but... if Marth could accept the princesses of an enemy nation, then she could put aside doubt for now.

Her hand clenched into a fist. How had she gotten here? Comparing herself to the achievements of her little brother? Stewing in regret over a choice she made some five years ago? She felt like an idiot. A jealous idiot.

Yet she couldn't stop and it made her feel awful. 

* * *

 

They came to a halt after having encircled the island that protected Macedon Castle.

“It's just over that ridge,” Michalis said, motioning. “It's meant to be able to deploy infantry and cavalry in case of an attack while keeping the drawbridge raised while being smaller and more easily defensible, so it's made of stone. They'd have to knock it down to remove it and it's doubtful they'll have managed that.”

“And if they have knocked it down?” Wolf asked, glaring out of the corner of his eye. “We'd be cut off from possible entrance save for the drawbridge, which we'd have to ride all the way back around to reach and find some way to lower it.”

Michalis did not deign to answer that.

“Let's rest for a moment while we can,” Nyna said, patting her horse. “Especially those who traveled on foot.”

“Ah... Queen Nyna?” Lena said. “There's a village near here. It's where Julian and I live, actually... Should we warn them about the coming battle?”

“... We should. I'll warn them. You rest up. Midia, I assume you intend to accompany me?”

Midia nodded. “It wouldn't do to allow my queen to travel alone.”

“Very well. Do as you will. Everyone else, prepare yourselves. Which direction is the village, Sister?”

Lena motioned to the east. “It's not far.”

“Thank you,” Nyna said with a nod. “We'll return soon.”

As the queen and her knight rode, Elice sat down on the grass. “My legs feel dead,” she said as she tried to massage her thighs.

“You've never marched that much before, have you?” Kris asked, standing over her.

“Why would I have? It's not like I did anything in the War of Shadows and, other than that, I spent all my time in a castle.” She glanced up. “You seem fine.”

“Well... I _did_ train for this.”

“Fair enough. Just let me die a little bit and then I'll be ready to fight.”

“I'd prefer you not die at all because, if you do, it's on _me_.”

“I'll try not to, then. Don't let me fall asleep before Queen Nyna gets back.”

“All right.” 

* * *

 

“We'll keep those gates nice and shut until tomorrow ma'am. Ain't nobody gonna get in,” a young man said.

“Good. Everything will go more smoothly if we don't have to worry about your safety while the battle rages,” Nyna replied.

“Oh I hope you win,” an old lady said. “Save Princess Minerva for us.”

“We will.” Nyna grasped the woman's hands “Don't fear. We will be victorious.” She let go and turned to Midia. “Let's return to the others.”

As she mounted her horse, a cry broke through the crowd gathered at the village entrance. “Wait, Your Highness!”

She turned her gaze to the source of the cry and saw a woman in heavy armor accompanied by a man wearing light leather armor rushing over to her. The woman held her helmet under one arm while waving the other to get her attention.

“Can I help you?”

The woman stopped in front of her horse and straightened up. “I want to fight. Help. I want to help fight. Rucke, I mean. Not fight you. Why would I want to fight you?”

“Sheena,” the man interrupted, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Right! I mean... I want to-”

“You wish to assist with removing Rucke?” Midia asked.

“Yes. That. My apologies. I had this whole... speech planned out in my head but I seem to have forgotten it. I'm Sheena and this is Samson.”

“Sheena...” Nyna put a hand to her chin in thought. “I feel as though I've heard that before...”

“You... likely have. My father was King Jiol of Gra.”

“Ah! So then you...”

“It's not important right now. Let me help you remove the rebels from the picture and then we can discuss this.”

“Of course. If you would like to join the fight, I would be remiss to turn down more allies.”

Sheena bowed as best she could in her armor. “Thank you, milady. I won't disappoint you on the battlefield.”

Nyna turned her horse. “Macedon will be freed today and then... Then we set our sights on Grust and Archanea. Midia... Let's ride.”

 


End file.
